Communicating corporate social responsibility to suspicious audiences: beyond identity washing

Organizations need good reputations among their stakeholders. One way of creating a better reputation might be the engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or Corporate Responsibility (CR) programs. However, since several organizations were greenwashing their communication (suggesting a responsible attitude without actual backing in behavior) stakeholders have become skeptical when confronted with CR communications. We aim for helping organizations who want to show their activities in this skeptical environment. In order to do so, 1) we describe the dynamics of skepticism, 2) we will give examples of greenwashing and 3) we suggest ways to avoid the impression of greenwashing and give a fair hearing to real CR programs and strategies.